Did you know that, when you eat broccoli, you’re actually eating the flowering head of a plant from the cabbage family? It comes from the Mediterranean region and has been cultivated since the 6th century, being a particularly important part of Italian diet.
Broccoli is an excellent source of vitamins C and K and contains smaller amounts of several B vitamins and the mineral manganese.
Broccoli should be consumed quickly—within 2-3 days—as it will not keep for long. When you first bring it home, mist it with water, wrap loosely in paper towel, and place it in a loosely tied or perforated plastic bag. Do not store in an airtight bag or container.
To freeze, cut washed broccoli into florets and stalks into pieces. Steam for 5 minutes or blanch for 3 minutes and then plunge into an ice water bath or rinse under cold water for the same length as your cooking time to prevent further cooking. If you want the broccoli to freeze in individual pieces that you can remove by the handful, first spread it out into a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze. Then, place in sealed, airtight containers or plastic bags in the freezer and consume within 1 year.
Broccoli is great raw, but if you quickly blanch it (or dip it in boiling water) it will have a more crisp-tender texture, a more pronounced flavor, and a brighter color. Broccoli can also be steamed, sautéed, roasted, or even grilled.
With broccoli, the main attraction is the florets, but did you know that the stems are edible as well? Broccoli actually comes from the cabbage family, and it’s stems have a somewhat similar taste.
The fastest and easiest way to prepare broccoli is to first cut as close to the crown as possible to remain the main trunk of the stem. This will break the crown into several florets. From here, you can repeat the process with each floret, and repeat again, until you get the broccoli cut down to the size you want, depending on what you are making.
Small caterpillars sometimes live in the florets of broccoli. Place your cut florets in a bowl of cold water and agitate them to loosen any grit or unwanted stowaways. Then run them under running water to rinse whatever you’ve washed away. This rinsing step is easily performed using the inside strainer bowl of a salad spinner.
Your broccoli is now ready to eat or cook (and then eat, of course)! The stems can also be eaten, so before you discard them, think twice! Slice them up and sauté them or roast with your florets.
